A Boston College sports blog capturing the highs and lows of being a BC fan living 1,000 miles from Chestnut Hill.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

BC-Central Michigan preview

Like last week this game doesn’t mean much in the big picture, but has huge implications in our little world. First, we need to rebound from last week’s loss. Second, we must prove we can win despite the distractions of the transfers. Third, we need to avoid any sort of “trap” game. CMU is very good, but we still should win this game at home for a variety of reasons.

Narrative talking point that you’ll tire of by the end of the game.“Dan LeFevour made his college debut against BC four years ago.” We may get tired of it especially if he is playing well but it is a legitimate storyline. LeFevour is an interesting case. He was lightly recruited, went to a MAC school, was forced onto the field against a BCS team and then nearly led a comeback. Sometimes we see a glimpse in a freshmen, predict stardom only to find out that game was an outlier. Other times, like in LeFevour’s debut, that first game really is an indicator of things to come. It’s BC’s misfortune to have to face the best CMU QB twice in four years.

Three simple keys

1.Establish the run. This is troublesome when we are thin in the backfield, but I do think we should be conservative in this game, limit LeFevour’s possessions and control the ball.2.Get pressure on LeFevour. Arizona is one of the few teams that sacked the CMU superstar. We need to bring pressure. The kid showed he could pick apart our zones four years ago. He has only gotten better since.3. Aggressive special teams. We’ve fair caught many punts over the past few weeks. It is time to help out the offense and return a few. Central Michigan has good, but not great punting. Gunnell needs to make something happen.

Gambling notes-- BC has covered the spread in the four of their last six against the MAC.-- Butch Jones is 2-7 against BCS teams.-- Since the DIA split, Central Michigan has never beaten two BCS teams in one season.The current line is BC-5.5

FactoidBecause of the way the calendar fell and a few Thursday night games, we played on Halloween three times in the ‘90s. This is our first Halloween game of the '00s.

Scoreboard WatchingClemson has a non-conference game, so they are of no concern this week. Instead I'll be paying attention to how Virginia plays against Duke. UVA is favored at home against a Blue Devil team that has many similarities to ours.

I hope to see…The defensive line dominate. I know these guys are all dinged up, but no one has really stepped up of late. If we are to make a run, this group has got to make some big plays.

BC is in trouble if...Shinskie doesn't improve his decision making. Last week was bad obviously. In other games some of his more blatant missteps weren't costly. This week, he should play smart football and not force things and check down when needed.

Bottom LineCentral Michigan is a good team but I think there are too many factors pointed towards a BC win this week. This is their third straight road game. We are their third BCS team on their schedule, yet they haven't played a team as talented or fast as BC in six weeks. Our guys have shown the ability to bounce back from tough losses. I think they do it again this week, contain LeFevour and pull away in the second half.Final Score: BC 35, CMU 17